Nikolay Basov

Chasing the idea of ‘best in class’ can be a dangerous game in procurement transformation.  🎧https://lnkd.in/eks7rEKm Benchmarks are important, but what if you select the wrong ones? What if they take you in the wrong direction because you’re trying to measure yourself by someone else’s best in class? This common mistake has tripped up many transformations - procurement ends up trying to build something that's not necessarily fit for the purpose of the organization they work in. In this week’s Art of Procurement podcast, I share a conversation I had with Tanya Roach, SCMP, Director of Procurement at Federated Co-operatives Limited while I was at the 2025 Supply Chain Canada National Conference in Calgary. She talks about her team’s transformation, including where they started and where they chose to focus. #procurement #transformation #bestinclass

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What does successful tenure look like in procurement today? It used to mean five, ten, even fifteen years with one company. Now, two to three years is often considered solid. In some cases, even that feels like a stretch. Job jumping has become part of the landscape. For some, it reflects ambition. For others, it’s burnout. And often, it’s the result of organizational shifts, budget cuts, or limited room to grow. Staying in one place doesn’t always mean stability, and leaving doesn’t always mean failure. But procurement is a long game. The biggest wins often come after months of groundwork: Building internal trust, reshaping vendor relationships, developing sourcing strategies that actually stick. You can’t always do that in a year. So, what are we really valuing? Are we prioritizing short-term results, or the kind of work that takes time to get right? Do we reward the polish of a fast-moving resume, or the grit it takes to stay and fix what’s broken? Furthermore, why are we willing to pay someone new more than someone who has stuck it out and solved complex organizational problems? Maybe tenure isn’t about years anymore. Maybe it’s about impact, trust, and whether you left the function stronger than you found it.

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Most SRM strategies stop at performance reviews, but that’s not where risk starts - And it’s definitely not where value ends... After 20+ years in procurement, I advocate a simple blueprint that I call the 3-Layer SRM Checkpoint. It's a framework you can use to assess supplier relationships that are built to last. Use it in your next supplier review and let me know in the comments below if you found this helpful. #Procurement #SupplyChain #CIPS

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Stop building supply chain buffers. You are making yourself redundant. I watched a brilliant supply chain director get fired last year. Not because of a disruption. Because he built too much "resilience." His name was Mark. He wasn't a traditional supply chain executive. He came from finance. He saw risk everywhere. So he built a fortress. He doubled safety stock. He added secondary suppliers for every component. He had contingency plans for his contingency plans. His inventory costs went through the roof. Cash flow got tight. The CFO saw a department bleeding money for a "what if" scenario. Mark was let go for poor financial performance. The disruption he feared never even happened. The problem is simple. We confuse resilience with buffering. Leadership wants results now. Bulking up on inventory and suppliers looks like smart planning. To the balance sheet, it looks like waste. Stop preparing for everything. Start preparing for something. Here’s how. - First, map your true vulnerabilities. Not every part is critical. Identify the 3-5 components that would actually stop your line. Ignore the rest. - Second, build relationships, not just buffers. Have a real conversation with your top-tier suppliers. Understand their challenges. Co-create a simple, realistic response plan. A trusted partner is better than three unknown backups. - Third, design for flexibility, not just fortification. Can you simplify your product design to use more common materials? This is cheaper and more effective than stockpiling rare parts. The result is focus. You stop wasting money on low-probability risks. Your working capital improves immediately. You become known as a strategic operator, You build a supply chain that is both lean and intelligent. When the next real disruption hits, you won't be the one explaining why you spent all the profit on "resilience." You'll be the one who bounces back from it in no time. How are you balancing cost and resilience without risking your job? — ♺ Reshare to your network to someone who needs to hear this, they’ll thank you. ► Like this? Join my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dMGaUj4p for more no-BS transformation wins.

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AI is Transforming Supply Chains — But Only Leaders Who Adapt Will Win The headlines make it sound simple — AI will optimise your supply chain, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. But when I talk to people on the ground — plant managers, operations heads, procurement leads — the reality is different. They’re asking: “How do we actually make this work with our people, our data, and our way of operating?” That’s the part the tech slides don’t cover. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) can be a game-changer — but it doesn’t magically plug into a business and fix everything. The difference between “AI pilot project” and “AI transformation” comes down to leadership. And not the old checklist of KPIs and operational targets. I’m talking about a new skillset entirely: 1️⃣ AI Literacy — knowing what AGI can and can’t do for forecasting, optimisation, and risk planning. 2️⃣ Cross-Functional Communication — making sure procurement, warehousing, and logistics speak the same language before the AI even runs its first model. 3️⃣ Decision Confidence — being clear on when to trust AI… and when to override it. 4️⃣ Change Leadership — moving teams forward without burning them out or losing trust. I’ve seen this shift first-hand. One operations head I worked with started out saying, “We’ve been fine without AI for years.” Six months later, after leading an AGI-enabled forecasting project, his team improved accuracy by 22% and halved their emergency shipments. The tech made it possible — but his adaptability made it stick. The truth is, technical tools are only as powerful as the leaders guiding them. And in supply chain and manufacturing, those leaders will define whether AI becomes a competitive edge… or an expensive missed opportunity. Because in the AGI era, the winning edge isn’t the tech you buy — it’s the leadership you build. ♻️ Share this if you believe leadership adaptability drives AI success — and let’s equip your team before the next wave hits. 🔔 Let's connect, PRAVENA K, for more on Virtual Assistance, Personal Branding and Leadership! #SupplyChainLeadership #AIReadiness #AGI #ManufacturingInnovation #HumanPlusAI #LeadershipTransformation

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Entry-level professionals always want to know, “How do I stand out ?” The latest CIPS Salary Guide offers a pretty clear answer for #Procurement professionals. The data shows that MCIPS-qualified professionals earn, on average, 22% more than their non-accredited peers - and in the UAE, it is 28% more ! Yes, more money in your pocket is nice - But the biggest benefit will be what changes once you start applying what you’ve learned. > You start asking better questions in supplier meetings. > Your cost-saving initiatives are tied to category plans and long-term sourcing strategies. > You’re able to balance price, value, continuity, and ESG without being told what to prioritise. > You become the person everyone relies on for logical decision-making and training others. And your manager notices. So does their manager. Because MCIPS doesn’t just give you a credential, it additionally gives you a language for communicating #Value, a framework for strategic thinking, and the kind of #Confidence that comes when you understand the bigger picture. If you're wondering whether it’s worth pursuing #MCIPS, I’d say this: 👉 It’s not just about levelling up your knowledge. It’s about being seen differently by your organisation, your peers, and most importantly, by yourself. I will put the link to the full CIPS - The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Salary Guide in the comments. Take a look and you’ll see just how much difference #ProfessionalDevelopment can make !

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